Originally posted by messiaenBlender runs terribly slow in my computer (it's written in Python, isn't it?), so I use Google SketchUp (which also has a free version) which is much faster and very user friendly.

It doesn't export obj. files in the free version. I try to put in that plugin, but the triangulater has an error, and the exporter doesn't change.

Hmmm... Everyone's view seems to be different. For a beginning hacker like me, what would one recommend?

Zero One
5150 And as we fall the spirit carries on,That a hero'll come and save us all,As we call the ones we left below,We all dream of the day we rise above
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Originally posted by Zero OnePersonally, I'd recommend Blender. It may look confusing, but it's actually incredibly easy to get the hang of. And that was BEFORE I saw Gecko's tutorial videos which are somewhere on this site.

Awesome! I'll have to check that one out and see if I can get the hang of it!

Thank you very much.

Zero One
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I like Blender a lot, now that I've "mastered" it about a full year and 20 tutorials later.

But, here's the way I see it. Feel free to correct or add on to my list, I'm probably missing some stuff.

Blender
Pros
- Lots and lots of customization.
- It's pretty fast, and my cpu isn't even that great. Triangulation can be done to a huge model with tons of faces in less than a second.
- It's really easy to make hills and mountains. That might seem random, but it's kind of a big deal.
- The "subdivide" tool makes triangulation much smoother and therefore, better, because most triangles will be the same size.

Cons
- More or less requires a 3-button mouse. You can do it with a touchpad but it's pretty much a nightmare for your wrists and fingers.
- Steep learning curve.
- Tends to crash more than it should.
- Exporting to obj is complicated (Most people who have had texturing issues in SM64 generally used Blender).
- Not user friendly, at all. The UI is ugly and all the different shades of grey you'll be looking at for hours on end modeling will make you feel disoriented after you've finally finished and you're reintroduced to the beautiful technicolor of the real world.
- Collision mapping errors sometimes happen.

Sketchup
Pros
- The controls are simple and intuitive.
- Obj export is clean and easy once you've downloaded the Imagemagick plugin and the C++ Resdistribution Package
- You can literally draw a face out of another face. This is revolutionary.
- Unlike Blender, you can see everything at once (Textures, faces, collision), there's no need to change viewing modes.
- Each tool is shown clearly in the toolbars, so from the start you'll be capable of doing everything, and unlike Blender you won't be stumbling upon new features you wish you could've used earlier every so often.
- Texturing is really, really easy.
- Lining up two objects is easy once you understand how to do it. Someone who goes here made a Sketchup tutorial, I think it might've been Dudaw. Go watch that, he teaches most of the tricks, but not all of them. But, in Blender if you want two objects to be at the same height it pretty much takes good judgment, and sometimes that's wrong so yeah, Sketchup makes it much more precise and easy.

Cons
- Like Blender it's tough without a mouse, but it's not as bad.
- I recall hearing something about collision issues.
- Lacks a "snap to x/y/z-axis" button, but most of the time it can indicate when it's aligned with either axis anyway.
- You can't really make a clean depression/elevation like in Blender. It looks kind of choppy at first and takes some work to make it look good.
- Triangulation is automatic, so it's kind of messy. It doesn't show up any different in-game unless you use fog, though.

EDIT: I updated the list. I am now convinced that anyone who uses Blender is a masochist.

THE VERDICT:
Either just get Sketchup and model everything in there...

or...

Get both. They're both free, but what you want to do is make the general layout of the terrain (hills and mountains) in Blender first, and then export that to an obj and then import that into Sketchup. From there, add the buildings and rocks and all that stuff. You'll be done in ~4 hours. But those 4 hours will (probably) not be fun, at all, so brace yourself. Level modeling makes you feel great if the end product is good and workable, but if it's a messy piece of trash you've pretty much wasted hours slaving over nothing.

Also, before you make a level model try drawing it out first. If you're gonna try my method, then that's pretty much the only way to go. If you're too embarrassed to draw it on a physical piece of paper cause you're afraid your folks might find out that you hack video games for fun, draw it in MS Paint or whatever the Mac equivalent is. You might be bad at first, but you'll get the hang of it pretty quick. Even if your drawing is awful, you'll still be able to interpret it and see what you plan on making and what you want it to look like.

So, my suggestion on getting good is to just model whatever you feel like, whenever you feel like it. If it sucks, then oh well, at least you tried. Eventually you'll get a general feel for it and you'll be able to create masterpieces one after another. That's pretty much the way it is with everything; I've made 6 bad levels and 1 decent level. I've also made 15 or so terrible songs and 2 good ones. Practice makes perfect, and nothing will ever change that.

~fin~

Edit: Having used Sketchup a bit more since making this post, I'd recommend just using Sketchup by itself, forget Blender. Blender is great for modeling, but it's difficult to recreate that blocky feel the N64 games had. You could make something beautiful in Blender, but it would look odd in comparison to the other levels. That's just my two cents though, try both programs out yourself and see which one you like.